SMALL
TOWN FEEL, BIG-TIME FESTIVAL It may seem a tad early to mention
a film festival that doesn’t actually happen until Oct. 10-14,
but this is about the Woodstock Film Festival. Tickets,
which are on sale now, sell out quickly. What, you may be
wondering, are some of the films to be screened? I would direct
you to the WFF Web site or last week’s Metroland Fall
Arts Preview for a list, but suffice to say some of the most
acclaimed and/or anticipated new films will be screened. This
would include the opening film, Julian Schnabel’s The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and the closing-night
film, Todd Haynes’ Dylan bio, I’m Not There.
There are literally dozens of films in between, including
Todd Kwait’s history-of-jug-band-music documentary, Chasin’
Gus’ Ghost, which profiles the original bands of the
1920s and follows the music’s influence on folk and rock &
roll. For tickets to any of these shows—some are undoubtedly
already all gone—call the box office at (845) 810-0131. Better
yet, visit www.woodstockfilmfestival.com, because it’s kind
of a complicated process.

BACK IN THE DAY And by “back in the day,” I mean back
in the day—Michelangelo’s day. This Saturday (Sept. 29), the
Catskill Mountain Foundation will present a performance
by William Carragan on a harpsichord made when Michelangelo
was alive. The Gironimo di Firenze instrument was made in
Florence, Italy, in 1539. Carragan will be performing a program
of works by Dietrich Buxtehude. The concert is at 8 PM on
Saturday in the new Doctorow Center for Performing Arts and
Film (Route 23A, Hunter). Tickets are $15. For reservations
and info, call 263-2063.

What can we add? It’s the world’s oldest
playable harpsichord.

ANOTHER
FILM FESTIVAL REMINDER Tickets for the FilmColumbia Festival
go on sale Oct. 1. This is the other nifty small-town fest,
with most of the screenings held in the charming Crandell
Theatre on Main Street in Chatham. They have a killer line
up this year, too: Things We Lost in the Fire,
with Benecio Del Toro and Halle Berry; Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s
Dream; Marc Forster’s The Kite Runner;
and many more. The FilmColumbia Festival runs from Oct. 18-21.
For info on how to buy tickets, visit www.filmcolumbia.com.

ANOTHER PIECE OF THE PROCTOR’S PUZZLE The new GE Theatre
at Proctor’s (432 State St., Albany) will celebrate
the grand opening of its Comedy Box to morrow night (Friday,
Sept. 28) series with two shows at 7:30 and 10 PM by Colin
Quinn. From his days on MTV’s Remote Control (some
of us have fond memories of that stupid game show) through
a stint on Saturday Night Live and numerous appearances
on Comedy Central over the years, Quinn’s working-class, in-your-face
style has resonated with audiences—and made them laugh. Tickets
for each show are $30. Upcoming performers in the Comedy Box
series will include Jamie Lissow (Oct. 5); Joe DeVito
(Oct. 19); Greg Fitzsimmons (Oct. 26-27); Buddy
Fitzpatrick (Nov. 2); Judah Friedlander (Nov. 24);
John Mulaney (Nov. 30); Jon Fisch (Dec. 14);
and Caroline Rhea—hey, a woman comedian, how about
that—on Dec. 15. For tickets, call the Proctor’s box office
at 346-6204.